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ji1aith a,D_4 op
built Lew·
in stone
wn
by ANNA ZELLICK f
//2· ..:< j- / 7?
How does it happen that Lewistown at the height of its
building boom, 1899-1913, was built almost entirely out of
stone by highly skilled and experienced foreign craftsmen?
What role did the city fathers and businessmen play in
influencing and determining the style of their town in which
they took an inordinate interest and pride?
How did the leaders get together with the craftsmen of an
obviously different background and culture?
It all started with a water reservoir that had to be built.
Minutes of the City Council, written in long h/md, reveal
that plans were pretty far along when Mayor George W. Cook
called a special meeting that was held on June 14, 1902. The
purpose of the meeting was "to consider the Reservoir
contract" already drawn between the City and the Montana
Hardware Company.
According to the Minutes:
"A. W. Warr (an influential business leader) representing
the Montana Hardware Company addressed the Council upon
the advisability of building a stone reservoir which he
thought could be built for less money and of greater capacity
than the steel reservoir already contracted for, and that his
Company would be willing to abrogate the contract for the
steel reservoir which, however, they were ready and willing
to sign a t any moment."
Considerable discussion followed in which the advantages
of a stone reservoir were outlined, one of them being that it
would provide more local jobs than would an installation of a
steel-lined reservoir.
"To put the matter before the board," Alderman W. D.
Symmes made a motion that the letting of the contract to the
Montana Hardware Company be reconsidered and that the
city engineer be instructed to draw up new plans. The motion
was seconded by A.W. Stoddard.
Mayor Cook then rose to his feet to express his disapproval
of the constant change in plans.
At this point, according to the Fergus County Argus for
June 18,1902, "the matter was thoroughly discussed and the
advisability of building a stone reservori, owing to the labor
being done at home, was forceably brought to the front."
The city engineer was consulted. He said that he preferred
a stone reservoir because it would be more sanitary than an
enclosed steel tank. "Council was unanimous," and Symmes'
motion was adopted.
Alderman Phil Laux then suggested that the city buy and
furnish the cement to the contractor. This was a means of
control inasmuch as it was "easy for a contractor to use
much less quantity than was necessary." Considered to be a
good idea, the suggestion was adopted by the Council.
A new plan now had to be made, submitted, and adopted,
after which new bids had to be let. June was already coming
to an end. And constructing in stone was not possible during
periods of heavy frosts and snow. There wasn't much time
left.
Not only did the city fathers prove themselves to be flexible
in responding to better plans as they were being offered, but
also that they were men of action. One special council
meeting followed another until they got the job done. At first,
bids were received from six different parties:
Ed. Quigley - Gravel $3,700; broken rock $1 per yd. extra.
Peter Tuss - $4,695.
Tom Moore and A. Franjette - $2,655; broken rock $400
extra; iron connection at cost.
J. L. Stuart-$4,635.
F. D. Baker and Co. -$4,693; broken rock $200 extra.
Frank Moshner - $4,500.
At a special meeting, the contract was offered to Ed
Quigley. But for reasons not provided either in the minutes or
the press, Quigley neither furnished a bond nor did he sign
the contract. Immediately another special meeting was
called.
Aware of the importance of fine craftsmanship and limited
time, the city fathers this time quickly offered ~he contract to
Pete Tuss, the highest bidder at $4,695. A foreign craftsman
who had arrived in Central Montana, only three years before,
he, unfortunately, did not have the money to post a $2,000
bond.
But the undaunted city fathers took care of this obstacle
promptly and unequivocally.
Charles Lehman and Phil Laux, two other prominent
business men and pillars of the new town, provided bond and
William Blackford, a highly regarded and able lawyer,
hastily prepared the legal papers. Thus officially sponsored
and legally in the clear, Tuss went to work at once.
By the end of October, Tuss with the hel~ of his countrym.en
had completed a reservoir on Jackson Hill (next to the City
water tank not far from the present Elks Country Club) that
was 30 by 100 feet and capable of holding 191,900 gallons of
water.
After inspecting the work on Oct. 29, Aldermen Symmes,
Laux, Eldridge, and city engineer G. M. Stafford reported
that they were "well satisfied" with the work. "It is finished
with a smooth hard coat of first-class cement," they said,
"and not a crack is visible on the surface."
Heavy bolts had been sunk in the stone-cement wall for the
purpose of holding a wooden cover, to be put on later.
On Nov. 12, about four months after the contract had been
awarded to Tuss, the reservoir was officially accepted.
Who was this man, Pete Tuss? Where did he come from?
And why were the city fathers so impressed with him that
they were willing to award him a major contract?
Already by the time of his arrival in the spring of 1899, Tuss
was a very highly experienced and skilled stonecutter and
stonemason who learned the fundamentals of stonemasonry
as a boy from his family in Bribir.
Nestled against the very slopes of the Dinaric Alps
in Croatia (a republic in present day Yugoslavia), where
agricultural land was extremely scarce, Bribir offered
limited economic opportunities. But it did have an abundant
supply of rock to be used by the men in teaching their sons
stonemasonry. And since the City was located only a short
distance from Rijeka (Fiume), the largest Croatian seaport
on the Adriatic, it was possible for its craftsmen to accept
jobs all over the world.

It started with a reservoir
Faith and hope in stone built Lewistown
By ANNA ZELLICK
How does it happen that Lewistown at the height of its building boom, 1899-1913, was built almost entirely out of stone by highly skilled and experienced foreign craftsmen?
What role did the city fathers and businessmen play in influencing and determining the style of their town in which they took an inordinate interest and pride?
How did the leaders get together with the craftsmen of an obviously different background and culture?
It all started with a water reservoir that had to be built.
Minutes of the City Council, written in long hand, reveal that plans were pretty far along when Mayor George W. Cook called a special meeting that was held on June 14, 1902. The purpose of the meeting was "to consider the Reservoir contract" already drawn between the City and the Montana Hardware Company.
According to the Minutes:
"A. W. Warr (an influential business leader) representing the Montana Hardware Company addressed the Council upon the advisability of building a stone reservoir which he thought could be built for less money and of greater capacity than the steel reservoir already contracted for, and that his Company would be willing to abrogate the contract for the steel reservoir which, however, they were ready and willing to sign at any moment." Considerable discussion followed in which the advantages of a stone reservoir were outlined, one of them being that it would provide more local jobs than would an installation of a steel-lined reservoir.
"To put the matter before the board" Alderman W. D. Symmes made a motion that the letting of the contract to the Montana Hardware Company be reconsidered and that the city engineer be instructed to draw up new plans. The motion was seconded by A.W. Stoddard. Mayor Cook then rose to his feet to express his disapproval of the constant change in plans. At this point, according to the Fergus County Argus for June 18, 1902, "the matter was thoroughly discussed and the advisability of building a stone reservoir, owing to the labor being done at home, was forcibly brought to the front."
The city engineer was consulted. He said that he preferred a stone reservoir because it would be more sanitary than an enclosed steel tank. "Council was unanimous" and Symmes' motion was adopted. Alderman Phil Laux then suggested that the city buy and furnish the cement to the contractor. This was a means of control inasmuch as it was "easy for a contractor to use much less quantity than was necessary." Considered to be a good idea, the suggestion was adopted by the Council.
A new plan now had to be made, submitted, and adopted, after which new bids had to be let. June was already coming to an end. And constructing in stone was not possible during periods of heavy frosts and snow. There wasn't much time left.
Not only did the city fathers prove themselves to be flexible in responding to better plans as they were being offered, but also that they were men of action. One special council meeting followed another until they got the job done. At first, bids were received from six different parties:
Ed. Quigley — Gravel $3,700; broken rock $1 per yd. extra.
Peter Tuss — $4,695.
Tom Moore and A. Franjette — $2,655; broken rock $400 extra; iron connection at cost.
J. L. Stuart — $4,635.
F. D. Baker and Co. — $4,693; broken rock $200 extra.
Frank Moshner — $4,500.
At a special meeting, the contract was offered to Ed Quigley. But for reasons not provided either in the minutes or the press, Quigley neither furnished a bond nor did he sign the contract. Immediately another special meeting was called. Aware of the importance of fine craftsmanship and limited time, the city fathers this time quickly offered the contract to Pete Tuss, the highest bidder at $4,695. A foreign craftsman who had arrived in Central Montana, only three years before, he, unfortunately, did not have the money to post a $2,000 bond. But the undaunted city fathers took care of this obstacle promptly and unequivocally.
Charles Lehman and Phil Laux, two other prominent business men and pillars of the new town, provided bond and William Blackford, a highly regarded and able lawyer, hastily prepared the legal papers. Thus officially sponsored and legally in the clear, Tuss went to work at once. By the end of October, Tuss with the help of his countrymen had completed a reservoir on Jackson Hill (next to the city water tank not far from the present Elks Country Club) that was 30 by 100 feet and capable of holding 191,900 gallons of water. After inspecting the work on Oct. 29, Aldermen Symmes, Laux, Eldridge, and city engineer G. M. Stafford reported that they were "well satisfied" with the work. "It is finished with a smooth hard coat of first-class cement" they said, "and not a crack is visible on the surface." Heavy bolts had been sunk in the stone-cement wall for the purpose of holding a wooden cover, to be put on later.
On Nov. 12, about four months after the contract had been awarded to Tuss, the reservoir was officially accepted. Who was this man, Pete Tuss? Where did he come from? And why were the city fathers so impressed with him that they were willing to award him a major contract? Already by the time of his arrival in the spring of 1899, Tuss was a very highly experienced and skilled stonecutter and stonemason who learned the fundamentals of stonemasonry as a boy from his family in Bribir.
Nestled against the very slopes of the Dinaric Alps in Croatia (a republic in present day Yugoslavia), where agricultural land was extremely scarce, Bribir offered limited economic opportunities. But it did have an abundant supply of rock to be used by the men in teaching their sons stonemasonry. And since the City was located only a short distance from Rijeka (Fiume), the largest Croatian seaport on the Adriatic, it was possible for its craftsmen to accept jobs all over the world. It was while he was working as a stonemason in Buenos Aries, Montreal and Charleston that Tuss kept receiving letters from a dear friend to come to Great Falls, Mont. By 1898, a few Croatians had already found their way to Great Falls where they lived in a small community of immigrants just across the Missouri River and known as "Little Milwaukee." Only a few months after his arrival in 1898, Tuss learned from an Italian that the "ideal" place for a good ambitious stonemason was Lewistown. Just 100 miles away, it was a town still to be built. It was a new town where the possibilities for stone craftsmen were simply enormous, he was told. Great Falls, on the other hand, was a growing copper smelter. Opportunities for smelter workers were legion. But Tuss was not a miner. He was a stonemason. With two old countrymen he found there, who were also accomplished stonemasons, John Plovanich, Sr., and Peter Drazich, Tuss set out for Lewistown immediately.
At the time of their arrival in the spring of 1899, Lewistown was just incorporated with "990 souls." Buoyed with enthusiasm, the eager, willing and industrious newcomers quickly found one building job after another. Busily working for Lewistown contractors who also were engaged in building projects in nearby gold mining towns of Gilt Edge and Kendall, the three stonemasons took, every opportunity to become acquainted with their new surroundings. They made every minute count. By the time of the reservoir contract in 1902, it was a matter of common knowledge among those in the building industry that Tuss and his two companions were scrupulous¬ly honest and dedicated to their work in which they happened to be experts. They knew how to handle and work with stone. Of this, the discerning able, realistic, and yet optimistic city fathers and civic leaders were acutely aware. They were equally aware of the fact that there was no building lumber and high quality fired brick on hand. (The Lewistown Brick Plant was not built until 1911.) Both had to be imported at a great cost. But there was a great supply of high quality hard sandstone just a few miles out of town along Spring Creek. The three stonemasons had come just in time, and soon thereafter they would be joined by approximately 100 other craftsmen from their native land. Clearly and unmistakably, the future had much to offer to both the Lewistown leaders and the craftsmen.
From 1,096 residents in 1900, the “Lewistown village", had grown to 2,992 in 1910 and to 6,120 in 1920. All along both sides of the Main Street as well as to the north, south, east, and west of it, one stone building after another was going up. There were, for instance, the Fergus County Free Public High School, the Library, City Hall, Masonic Temple, St. Joseph Hospital, business houses too numerous to mention here, churches, and elementary schools. Stone was used also for private residences belonging to Warr, Stafford, Symmes, Blackford, Thompson, Hobensack, Waite, Cort, and many others. The whole town, it appeared, was being built out of stone.
One major stone building contract followed another during a 15-year period in which the stonemasons usually worked for leading contractors such at T. J. Tubb, Phil Laux, and others, although three other major contracts (in addition to the reservoir) had been awarded directly to Tuss: Masonic Temple, St. Joseph Hospital (first unit), and the Presbyterian Church.
What needs to be emphasized is that the Lewistown city fathers did not want an ordinary looking town. Even if it required strange foreigners who communicated in very broken English with head nods, hand gestures, and smiles, and, who incidentally, at the same time were not looked upon with favor by the local labor union, really did not matter. Building of the water reservoir demonstrated that these foreigners could be trusted even with contracts as they were honest, dedicated, frugal, and hard-working people.
What the city fathers wanted, most of all, was a beautiful town with attractive business and public houses as well as private homes. By 1913, for all intents and purposes, their goal was an accomplished fact. That Lewistown had stood out prominently and just recently proclaimed by a staff member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation as "the finest collection of archi¬tecture, commercially and residentially in the country" is due not only to the many fine craftsmen (stone and brick), but also to the city fathers and civic leaders of that era. An unusual group of men, they were able, energetic, and forceful they were also men of great vision. In building Lewistown in a short concentrated period of time (1899-1913), they provided a town that has uniformity in style, composition, and character.
Their imprint lasts to this very day.

ji1aith a,D_4 op
built Lew·
in stone
wn
by ANNA ZELLICK f
//2· ..:< j- / 7?
How does it happen that Lewistown at the height of its
building boom, 1899-1913, was built almost entirely out of
stone by highly skilled and experienced foreign craftsmen?
What role did the city fathers and businessmen play in
influencing and determining the style of their town in which
they took an inordinate interest and pride?
How did the leaders get together with the craftsmen of an
obviously different background and culture?
It all started with a water reservoir that had to be built.
Minutes of the City Council, written in long h/md, reveal
that plans were pretty far along when Mayor George W. Cook
called a special meeting that was held on June 14, 1902. The
purpose of the meeting was "to consider the Reservoir
contract" already drawn between the City and the Montana
Hardware Company.
According to the Minutes:
"A. W. Warr (an influential business leader) representing
the Montana Hardware Company addressed the Council upon
the advisability of building a stone reservoir which he
thought could be built for less money and of greater capacity
than the steel reservoir already contracted for, and that his
Company would be willing to abrogate the contract for the
steel reservoir which, however, they were ready and willing
to sign a t any moment."
Considerable discussion followed in which the advantages
of a stone reservoir were outlined, one of them being that it
would provide more local jobs than would an installation of a
steel-lined reservoir.
"To put the matter before the board" Alderman W. D.
Symmes made a motion that the letting of the contract to the
Montana Hardware Company be reconsidered and that the
city engineer be instructed to draw up new plans. The motion
was seconded by A.W. Stoddard.
Mayor Cook then rose to his feet to express his disapproval
of the constant change in plans.
At this point, according to the Fergus County Argus for
June 18,1902, "the matter was thoroughly discussed and the
advisability of building a stone reservori, owing to the labor
being done at home, was forceably brought to the front."
The city engineer was consulted. He said that he preferred
a stone reservoir because it would be more sanitary than an
enclosed steel tank. "Council was unanimous" and Symmes'
motion was adopted.
Alderman Phil Laux then suggested that the city buy and
furnish the cement to the contractor. This was a means of
control inasmuch as it was "easy for a contractor to use
much less quantity than was necessary." Considered to be a
good idea, the suggestion was adopted by the Council.
A new plan now had to be made, submitted, and adopted,
after which new bids had to be let. June was already coming
to an end. And constructing in stone was not possible during
periods of heavy frosts and snow. There wasn't much time
left.
Not only did the city fathers prove themselves to be flexible
in responding to better plans as they were being offered, but
also that they were men of action. One special council
meeting followed another until they got the job done. At first,
bids were received from six different parties:
Ed. Quigley - Gravel $3,700; broken rock $1 per yd. extra.
Peter Tuss - $4,695.
Tom Moore and A. Franjette - $2,655; broken rock $400
extra; iron connection at cost.
J. L. Stuart-$4,635.
F. D. Baker and Co. -$4,693; broken rock $200 extra.
Frank Moshner - $4,500.
At a special meeting, the contract was offered to Ed
Quigley. But for reasons not provided either in the minutes or
the press, Quigley neither furnished a bond nor did he sign
the contract. Immediately another special meeting was
called.
Aware of the importance of fine craftsmanship and limited
time, the city fathers this time quickly offered ~he contract to
Pete Tuss, the highest bidder at $4,695. A foreign craftsman
who had arrived in Central Montana, only three years before,
he, unfortunately, did not have the money to post a $2,000
bond.
But the undaunted city fathers took care of this obstacle
promptly and unequivocally.
Charles Lehman and Phil Laux, two other prominent
business men and pillars of the new town, provided bond and
William Blackford, a highly regarded and able lawyer,
hastily prepared the legal papers. Thus officially sponsored
and legally in the clear, Tuss went to work at once.
By the end of October, Tuss with the hel~ of his countrym.en
had completed a reservoir on Jackson Hill (next to the City
water tank not far from the present Elks Country Club) that
was 30 by 100 feet and capable of holding 191,900 gallons of
water.
After inspecting the work on Oct. 29, Aldermen Symmes,
Laux, Eldridge, and city engineer G. M. Stafford reported
that they were "well satisfied" with the work. "It is finished
with a smooth hard coat of first-class cement" they said,
"and not a crack is visible on the surface."
Heavy bolts had been sunk in the stone-cement wall for the
purpose of holding a wooden cover, to be put on later.
On Nov. 12, about four months after the contract had been
awarded to Tuss, the reservoir was officially accepted.
Who was this man, Pete Tuss? Where did he come from?
And why were the city fathers so impressed with him that
they were willing to award him a major contract?
Already by the time of his arrival in the spring of 1899, Tuss
was a very highly experienced and skilled stonecutter and
stonemason who learned the fundamentals of stonemasonry
as a boy from his family in Bribir.
Nestled against the very slopes of the Dinaric Alps
in Croatia (a republic in present day Yugoslavia), where
agricultural land was extremely scarce, Bribir offered
limited economic opportunities. But it did have an abundant
supply of rock to be used by the men in teaching their sons
stonemasonry. And since the City was located only a short
distance from Rijeka (Fiume), the largest Croatian seaport
on the Adriatic, it was possible for its craftsmen to accept
jobs all over the world.